


The sun will rise with my name on your lips

by Anonymous



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Angst, Author Is Sleep Deprived, Bad Parenting, Bottom Shiro (Voltron), Characters are a little OC, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Extremely Dubious Consent, Hostage Situations, I'm Going to Hell, I'm Sorry, Implied/Referenced Domestic Violence, It Gets Worse, Keith (Voltron) Has Abandonment Issues, M/M, Neglect, Non-Consensual Bondage, Non-Consensual Somnophilia, Non-Consensual Touching, Orphan Keith (Voltron), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Shiro (Voltron), POV Third Person Limited, Possessive Behavior, Pseudo-Incest, Shiro (Voltron) is a Mess, Sorry Not Sorry, The Author Regrets Everything, Top Keith (Voltron), Why Did I Write This?, author has a lot of baggage ok pls dont kill me in the comments, keith doesn't give two fucks about school
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-31
Updated: 2020-06-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 00:09:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24475537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/
Summary: Keith has always been touchy, clinging onto Shiro at every possibility. Shiro excused it on his unknown background as an orphan, indulging his younger brother with hugs and cuddles. Shiro was a teddy bear at heart, and couldn't stand watching anyone in pain. However, as the years went by it started to change for the worse. Shiro wasn't sure what exactly triggered it, or even if he played a part in it. Was he too lenient with Keith? Was his relationship with Adam a threat to the boy?*Keith is 17/18 and shiro is 18/19
Relationships: Adam/Shiro (Voltron), Keith/Shiro (Voltron)
Comments: 13
Kudos: 44
Collections: Anonymous





	1. alert

**Author's Note:**

> If ur here for the messed up shit (at ease, soldiers.) u can skip to chap 10 :) heed the tags pls.  
> if u want the buildup i'd recommend starting from the beginning.
> 
> changed title from and if you can't breath, might as well swim due to current events (thank you anonymous commenter). Hope this one is okay! please always correct me if I mess up i appreciate it, it's all a learning experience :) enjoy and heed the tags x

When Shiro was in his junior year and Keith in his sophomore, Keith made his first mistake.

Their parents weren't home at the time, working late shifts in the hospital to afford the boys' prestigious school. Shiro had finally finished his English project, feeling drained but relieved he managed to hand it in exactly on the 11:59 time mark. He grabbed his phone and sent a short text message to Allura, stretching his arms above his head.

 **Shiro 12:01** : Finished just in time. Pray 4 me :(

 **Allura 12:02** : Go 2 sleep you big doofus

Shiro grinned, putting his phone on sleep and closing his laptop. He dragged a hand across his face and made his way to the bathroom. Keith was passed out on the couch, soft snores faintly merged with the racketing gun shots blasting on T.V. Shiro scoffed, wondering how Keith could've fallen asleep like this, grabbing the remote to lower the volume. The TV lights flash against Keith's face, giving a disarming look to the his younger brother. Violent. Shiro gently laid a blanket over his twitching body and turned away to head to the bathroom.

____

He was rinsing his hair, deep in thought, when he heard it. Or rather, them. Some sort of groaning sound, as if the person was in pain. Concerned, Shiro quickly exits the shower and ties a towel around his waist. The door is open by a creak, almost unnoticeable from far. Shiro gulps and opens the door further, preparing his body for a fight. Is this how he dies? An intruder killing him in his prime? Instead, he sees something he never thought he'd see. Hell, he would rather be facing that knife right now than be seeing this. Shiro gasps audibly. He puts his hand against the wall to steady himself, the other still enclosed on the door handle.

"K-Keith?" He exclaims, shocked.

"It's not what it looks like, I swear!" Keith is on his knees, with a hand under his briefs; pants unzipped to expose him. There's a wet mark around his groin. His eyes are wide, ashamed. Shiro is confused, mouth open. He's waiting for Keith's excuse to fix things; there has to be an excuse. "I was just passing by and I- I was desperate okay?" _What._

Keith's breathing is chaotic and his back is pressed firmly against the wall, face red in what Shiro hoped was shame.

"Dude! That's what we have pornhub for! Hell, I can give you my account details if you're that desperate?!" Shiro slams the door shut, his last image being of Keith's pleading eyes. _What the fuck..._ He dries himself off, hastily putting on pyjamas. His reflection in the mirror shows his distressed face, eyebrows scrunched and mouth down-turned. His hands are clenching onto the sink for stability, fingers turning white. _Was Keith going through some sort of phase?_ He didn't even know Keith was attracted to men. _There's a lot he didn't know, apparently._ "Argh." He heads to his room, finding Keith on the couch again, blanket covering his face. Shiro shakes his head and goes to bed. He spends all night tossing and turning, trying to figure out what led Keith into doing this. He hopes this was just a bad dream and everything will be better in the morning.  
__

Things did not get better. In fact, they got somehow more muddled. While Shiro tried to continue their relationship as it used to be, he couldn’t shake the memory of Keith getting off to him while he was naked. The thought made him cringe internally every time he thought of it, wondering how Keith could do such a thing. He was more paranoid now, making sure he'd stop and listen while showering in fear of finding Keith again. All the hugs and piggyback rides now felt strange. He was certain Keith noticed his reluctance. Ever since Shiro started his final year, Keith seemed constantly cautious. For what, Shiro wasn't sure. At school it was particularly noticeable. Nearly every break he could feel Keith's eyes on him- watching his every move. Shiro tries not to notice Keith's obvious scrutinising, but Allura keeps reminding him.

"It's just strange, is all. Did you two get in a fight or something?" She asks, concerned. Her voice is soft and steady. She had been a constant in Shiro's life, growing up together due to their parents friendship. In kindergarten she would always share her lunch with him, noticing he didn't have anything to eat. Since then, they have been almost inseparable. Allura seemed to take responsibility for him where his parents failed, making sure she'd always bring extra food or gift him new clothes. Throughout the years they always had the same classes, the same interests and the same taste in boys. The main attraction, currently, was Adam. He was an exchange student and was to stay at Allura's house (to her great enjoyment) for the next school year. The dreamy boy had started hanging out with them after they invited him to eat lunch together, noticing his apparent lack of social skills. He was adorably shy and caring, always asking his newfound friends how their day was going. He, like them, was a science nerd. His narrow glasses gave him an unsuitably cold look, while, in reality, he was probably the kindest of his whole friend group combined. 

"Yeah dude, Pidge doesn't give two shits about me. I'm kinda jealous, actually." Matt admits. Matthew was probably the most attractive out of all of them, constantly getting the girls attention. His phone was always beeping with notifications. If you looked closely, you could see which girls were texting him based on their crestfallen faces around the cafeteria. Short ponytails are all the rage, apparently. Shiro is lacking in that department, his hair cut short jaggedly by himself. Matt's younger sister, Pidge, seemed to have a crush on Keith; he remembers with great embarrassment. 

"I don't know, isn't it a little strange?" He doesn't mean to sound so concerned, but he's always failed at hiding his emotions well. Shiro is unsure of where the lines blur; no one told him how siblings are supposed to act. Was there a handbook he could refer to? 

"It's alright Shiro, he probably just cares for you a lot." Adam is smiling as usual, patting him gently on the back in comfort. Shiro nods and continues feasting on his chocolate pudding, eyebrows drawn in thought. He decides to think of a more concerning matter instead: his upcoming algebra test.

___

He gets home exhausted, waving loosely at Matt's retreating car. His friend honks multiple times for good measure. Sighing, he clenches onto his A+ test tightly and unlocks the front door. He had struggled with the last question but somehow passed. Allura got an A and they screeched together in joy. High fives were shared and grades were celebrated. Shiro puts it down on the counter for his parents to find later in the evening. They held high expectations for their two sons', working back to back to afford the schooling costs. In exchange, they had to show all their test results. If they got lower than a B, there would be consequences. Shiro doesn't want to think about that right now, however. His brain was fried. He heads straight for his bed, dropping his school bag with a thump as he dives head first onto his mattress. He sighs and lets his mind wander, basking in the afternoon sun streaming into the bedroom. Eyes fighting unsuccessfully with sleep, his legs growing numb.


	2. cozy

Shiro wakes up with an intense feeling of unease. He keeps his breathing calm, opening his eyes slowly. Dark grey meets that strange eye color, grayish blue. Lilac in the right lighting. Keith.

"Shiro, you're awake."

"Y...yeah." He mumbles, disorientated. He shifts, pulling the blanket up to cover his exposed chest. When did he take his shirt off again? Keith watches the action, eyes tracing the movement. The boy was casually sitting down on the floor, a book in his hand. Was he reading.... While watching Shiro? "How long have you been here?"

"Sleep well?" The grey-eyed boy deflects, smiling softly. "I made your favourite for dinner." He adds. Dinner? Oh shit. Shiro immediately sits up, grabbing his phone and a tank top before heading to the kitchen. Sure enough, a steaming bowl of Mac and cheese is presented on his side of the table. Keith follows timidly behind him, sitting down on the opposite end of the table doing supposedly nothing? Shiro turns on his phone and is instantly harassed with notifications. He shakes his head in amusement and swiftly replies to all his concerned friends. They knew he always did his homework around this time, helping his friends with their many questions. "Your food's getting cold." Keith looks sharply at him, seemingly upset. 

"R-right..." He puts his phone down and starts on the meal. There's an awkward tension in the air. When did it get like this? Keith slowly calms down and relaxes in his seat, playing with his fingers. "Have you eaten yet?" Shiro knows Keith often didn't take care of himself much. Despite somehow helping Shiro in almost all aspects of life, he didn't seem to care for his own. Keith didn't spend any time on his homework, being a naturally smart student. This, however, was not accepted by his parents. Shiro was tasked with taking care of his younger brother; but it ended up being the exact opposite. The main reason they adopted Keith was for his high IQ, which Shiro thought was revolting. Who adopts a kid for their potential? Growing up he was often violent to the other kids, and would hold temper tantrums till his father managed to silence him via violent means. Shiro was always there to pick up the pieces, gently scolding Keith for his aggressive personality. He'd apply bandages to all his wounds, press ice where it hurt the most and soothe his little brother to a content peacefulness. Keith, unintentionally to Shiro, started looking at him as his saviour. He'd always run to him when he was upset or frustrated. And that was okay. It was fine. Shiro thought he would grow more independent with time but he greatly underestimated Keith's neediness. Shiro couldn't deny Keith. He had grown to care deeply for his younger brother, despite his initial wariness. He felt responsible. 

"No. I was worried about you." Keith meets his eyes and Shiro gulps. When had his brother grown so intense? When did he assume the role of caretaker?

"You know you don't have to worry about me, Keith." Keith looks like he wants to say something but Shiro quickly continues. "You have to eat too, okay? You can have the rest, I'm not that hungry anyways." Shiro pauses. "Thank you though, really. It's mid terms so I'm a little stressed, but I can handle it." He smiles widely to pacify Keith, pushing the half empty bowl towards him. He stands up and goes to the refrigerator, grabbing the ketchup. He puts it down next to Keith, knowing his strange preference for the condiment with all foods. He lightly scruffs up the boys hair and starts heading to his room. "I'm gonna go study. I'll see if I have some time for Grey's Anatomy later." Keith lets out a happy hum and Shiro smiles. Now, advanced physics. 

__

With a pleased sigh, Shiro heads to the living room to see what Keith was up to. "Keith? Are you here?"

"I'm by the TV!" A nearby shout announces. Of course he was watching TV. Shiro tries not to worry for his brother's education but he can't help it. He starts for the living room, turning off unnecessary lights as he goes. The TV is paused on the latest episode of Grey's anatomy. The smell of popcorn invades his senses and he's instantly relaxed at the prospect of just sitting down with some popcorn and watching their favourite show. Shiro quickly settles down on the sofa, sitting down next to Keith. He grabs the blanket and tugs for dominance, Keith snorts and gives him leeway. Shiro does a happy little squirm like a dog, getting comfortable in his position. Keith is holding onto the bowl of popcorn and easily grabs the remote. Shiro can get used to this.

"Are you sure you finished all your homework?" Shiro asks, unintentionally dampening the mood.

"Yeah yeah," Keith playfully throws a kernel at Shiro, aiming for his forehead. Shiro blinks at the intrusion, interrupted from his lecture. Keith seems to suspect Shiro's upcoming response and sternly "Shhhhhh!!!"'s him. Shiro shrugs and lets the boy get his way, just this once, and focuses on the show.

____

He wakes up drowsily, patting his hands around him to figure out his surroundings. Oh right, the sofa. He opens his eyes and tries to sit up. Keyword, *tries*. Keith is stuck to him like a glove, holding onto his waist in a vice like grip. *Ouch?* Shiro laughs audibly at the situation trying to get his brother off. This is not how he expected to wake up. Especially not on a school night.

"Shirooo..." The boy moans, nuzzling his head against Shiro's chest. Shiro coughs loudly in an attempt to garner his attention. When did this boy get so strong, Jesus. He was always smaller than Shiro, lanky in all the places Shiro was muscled. However, the unexpected growth spurt had made the boy almost as tall as him. To his great chagrin, as Shiro liked being the big brother; taking care of people. Matt calls him dad, for god's sake. However, Keith was defiant that this was not the case. Keith claims he was robbed of good genes, and that mentally he was much taller than Shiro. Shiro told him that he could be whatever he wanted to be if it helped him sleep at night; and it seemingly did help. Somehow. Keith didn't complain about their opposing heights anymore, giving Shiro peace of mind.

"Get offffff!" Shiro groans in distress, checking his watch. He needed to get dressed now if he wanted to make it to school on time. He attempts to ply Keith's fingers off one by one, forcing Shiro to use all his arm muscles. What the fuck... He succeeds only when the boy actually wakes up, grip slackening.

"Oh." Keith says groggily, taking in his current situation. "Sorry." Keith lets go with no rush, as if he wasn't glued onto him just a second ago. Shiro gives him a death glare, deciding to curse him out later when he had the time. Did he not hear his alarm? Shit, Matt probably already left. This meant he had to use the bike. The only problem was, there was only one bike. Shiro knew he'd have to carry Keith to school on the back of his bike, or else they would both be late. He'd be sweaty and out of breath by the time he'd reach school, but he didn't see any other option. Groaning, he rushed to get dressed. He notices Keith lazily getting ready on the other side of the room, packing his bag with no care in the world.

"Keith! We can't be late!" Shiro applies urgency to his statement, hoping that by saying it it will become true. Keith nods, not looking back at Shiro's ticked off expression. Darn it. Shiro grabs his bag and heads to the garage. His parents car was already gone, old black tire stains on the cement floor. The bike had a back rack where you'd usually put your bag. In this case, Keith would have to sit on it while Shiro peddled like his life depended on it. "Keith!" he hollers again, for extra measure. Shiro heads outside, getting ready for take off. Sure enough, Keith comes out with his hair a mess- uniform crumpled and tie undone. Shiro rolls his eyes in annoyance and grabs the boy, quickly fixing his hair to a near presentable level. Shiro pushes the bag against his chest and starts off biking for Keith to jump on. His brother jumps on and Shiro wobbles briefly, trying to find balance. Keith encircles his arms around Shiro's chest (not as tightly as this morning, thank god) and he races off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> the great gatsby fucked me up man :(


	3. fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> some trigger warnings, might contain spoilers kinda? always heed the tags please ! TW: domestic abuse, psychical abuse, crappy parents and uh neglect. also gore. but its pretty vanilla.

The chemistry project was supposed to be a short, easy thing. Instead, he and Allura went all out. Adam was watching in amusement from the bed, looking down on them while pointing out spelling mistakes and other presumed failures. How can one mess up a presentation on Kinetics? That's what they thought at the time of choosing the subject. It was, technically, not their fault that they had to put so much effort into it. The problem with his class was that everyone put their all into their work. This meant they always had to create something on par with their classmates if they hoped to pass. Stupid prestigious school with high expectations. He was glad it challenged him, but most kids barely had any time to relax.

"Jeez, it's already 10." Allura sighs dramatically, placing a hand over her head as if she was about to faint. "I don't think we'll get this done till the next century." 

"Oh shit," Shiro checks his watch to make sure he's reading it right. "I better be getting home. My parents have the evening off." He doesn't tell them about his worries for Keith, but Allura seems to sense it. She gives him an emphatic look, privy only to him and her. Adam is looking at them curiously but doesn't say anything. Shiro quickly gives Allura a kiss on the forehead and does his weird handshake with Adam (in Shiro's defence, he didn't create it.) involving two chest bumps, one encompassing hug and a weird finale including a staring contest. Shiro excuses it on his French nationality. Adam laughs joyfully and Shiro smiles, feeling lucky to have his friends. Usually, when their parents would come over both brothers would find a way to scramble, but Keith has been arguing with his friends lately. Shiro knows it's none of his business, but he has tried to pry details from his brother. To little avail, the boys only response being shrugged shoulders and a frustrated sneer. 

"We'll work on it during lunch?" Allura questions, grabbing his hand to stop him from leaving the room. "Be safe, okay?"

"Of course, I'll work on some calculations at home so we can get this done." Shiro pats her shoulder reassuringly. Adam and Allura wave their goodbyes, embracing each other while fake crying. _Losers,_ Shiro laughs.

__

He can sense something is wrong as soon as he unlocks the front door. Silence. An uneasy feeling in his stomach. Akin to butterflies- but these can't fly; crawling around his insides, trying to escape. Shiro quietly closes the door behind him, clenching onto his bag strap for some form of preparation. The closer he gets to the living room, the more the butterflies increase in speed. Shiro has always had good instincts, probably due to his many years in an abusive home. You tend to learn when you need to tiptoe just to survive. Right now, all his alarms were going off. He enters the living room and instantly hones in on Keith. He has blood dripping down his nose, landing haphazardly on the carpeted floor. One of his eyes was puffy and red, bruising down to his cheek. It looked like a rotten peach, squishy and forgotten. Shiro scrunches up his nose in distraught, trying not to overreact. Sure enough, his parents were sitting on the sofa. His dad was clenching his jaw, bristled anger in his eyes. His mother was somehow worse. A cold, disappointed scowl. Her black hair was in a tight bun, military style. She was an administrator at the hospital, taking care of supplies and the staff. His father was a general practitioner, expecting similar achievements from his children.

"Shiro, so nice of you to join us at this late hour." His mom said with her characteristically empty voice. When Shiro was younger he used to draw her as a robot; his teachers found it funny. His mother, not so much. 

"Shun." He responds quickly, standing straight, eyes facing the wall. "I was working on a project with Allura, ma'am." He bows his head in respect, hoping she'd go easy on him.

"Go to bed." His father says curtly. 

"I, uh-" Shiro starts. "Keith has an important test tomorrow, I have created a study plan for him to follow." Lies. Shiro was crossing his fingers that they'd let Keith go, knowing the alternative. His dad turns to face him and Shiro brings his eyes down to his feet, avoiding eye contact. "Sir." He adds for good measure. 

"Fine, clean this mess up and train it better." His father has anger on the tip of his tounge, waiting to lash out at any sign of defiance. 'It' being Keith. He wants to yell at his parents, cause anarchy. But he can't. He's too weak, too scared. "Once you're done clean the bathroom and kitchen again." Shiro knows he won't be sleeping tonight. He also knows this was punishment for holding a hand out to Keith. Nonetheless, he nods his assent. Just another night, he thinks. Tomorrow his parents will be busy again. 

___

He was scrubbing under the counters when he heard the shuffling of feet behind him. Keith was holding a frozen bag of peas tightly against his eye, tears slowly dripping down from the other eye. He snuffles and Shiro quickly stands up to comfort him. 

"Keith, Keith shhh." He puts his dry hand around Keith in a half hug. The boy instantly latches onto him, holding onto any support he can find. "I'm sorry I wasn't home earlier, Keith, I'm sorry..." The adrenaline exits his body in waves, being replaced with the dirty taste of guilt. How could he do this to his brother? He knew his parents would be coming home. What kind of older brother was he?

"Don't ever leave me again." His brother demands. Shiro nods in consent. He needs to protect him. Keith suddenly brings him closer, forcing Shiro's wet arm against Keith's chest. Shiro is about to back away and apologise for getting him wet when Keith smells him. _Wait. What?_ Keith was smelling him? His nose is pressed against Shiro's shoulder, salty tears and icy water slowly seeping into his shirt. Shiro is uncertain of what to do, awkwardly patting his back. Usually after being beat up by his parents Keith just wanted reassurance and space, embarrassed he was so weak against an enemy. 

"Come," Shiro starts awkwardly, slowly removing the boy from his body. "You need to go to bed, okay? Let your body rest." He gently turns Keith around, lightly pushing him in the direction of their bedroom. Sure enough, his brother shuffles back to his room. Shiro shakes his head in concern. What excuse would he have to tell Keith's teachers this time? They were starting to grow more and more suspicious that Keith wasn't simply a bad boy, 'always seeking street fights'. His parents had given him a fake email address to use for their school, not bothered with the school announcements and events. So, Shiro was technically the guardian of Keith. The school knew that his parents worked in the medical field, making them too busy to attend parent teacher meetings. Instead, Shiro would come every other term to see how Keith was doing. They always had the same comments: "He's getting B's now with no effort, imagine if he actually tried?" or "He lacks motivation but makes up for it in skill." Shiro was a little jealous of course, having to work hard for his results while Keith enjoyed his spare time to the fullest. Shiro is brought out of his thoughts by a sudden pressure. He has all his air pushed out of him and lands pathetically on the tiled floor, sponge still in hand. His side aches like hell. Shiro looks up.

"Stop diddly dawdling. Finish this before 4 am." His father had kicked him roughly in the side for not working fast enough. Shiro gets onto his hands and knees and crawls over to do the rest of his job. He starts scrubbing again in earnest, making sure not a speck of grime would be left. His father, however, was not satisfied with his effort. He plants his foot on Shiro's back and attempts to push him down. This was a fun game he liked to play; see how far Shiro could go before passing out. 

"Please, sir." He hated himself. The sound of himself begging. God forbid if Keith saw him like this. "I have to hand in a project tomorrow." Shiro's only reasoning that actually seemed to affect his parents was on the topic of school. His dad makes a disappointed sound and kicks him cruelly in his side again. Shiro wheezes, his breath cut in half. He chokes halfheartedly on his on saliva, coughing into his fist. He hears his dad's retreating steps and is immediately thankful for the mercy shown. Shiro gets up on his hands and knees again. Finish before 4 am, finish calculations and then go to sleep. He repeats this over and over again to himself, hoping for some sort of inspiration. Just tonight. Tomorrow it will be okay again.


	4. warm

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> tw: for homophobia kinda? be safe xxx

Keith hisses loudly as he opens the curtains, exposing the harsh morning sun. Shiro had just finished his calculations; hands still wrinkly from all the cleaning. 

"I'm sorry little bro, we gotta go to school." Shiro tries to reason. Defiantly, Keith shakes his head and pulls his blankets over his face. "Keith..." Shiro groans. "You only have a few more sick days left and we still have three terms to go... You know this." He couldn't blame Keith really; he never actually got sick. Rather, his parents knocked him out until he literally couldn't walk in a straight line when he woke up the next morning. However, based on Keith's response to the light this morning, he was still kicking and breathing. Shiro heads over to the bed and shakes his brother softly, sighing in distress. 

"Don't wanna." A muffled response, but a response nonetheless. 

"Come on, if we hurry up we might be able to go with Matt." Shiro reasons with him. "I still need to apply your makeup." This wakes the boy up sufficiently. Shiro heads to the kitchen and quickly eats his cheerios, filling a bowl up for Keith. He brings the breakfast to Keith's shuffling form, a small mercy. The boy gulps it down in big bites while Shiro gets ready, carefully putting the calculation sheet into his bag. He didn't get no sleep for nothing. He drinks some disgusting leftover cold coffee, thankful his parents left him some. He had sixth period free, so he could probably get a discrete power nap in if he 'studied' in the library. Shaking his head, trying to fix his blurry vision, he heads to the bathroom. Keith is already sitting on the bathtub's rim, rubbing his eyes and letting out a groan of pain. Shiro grabs his hands softly and pulls them down to assess the damage. Sure enough, the squishy red bruise had transformed to a hard angry purple. Shiro pets his head emphatically. Keith follows the gesture, leaning into his hand. 

"Don't ever leave me again." The boy repeats, bringing his hand up to grab onto Shiro's. "I was really scared." Keiths continues, generating a pang of guilt in Shiro. The older brother nods and Keith lets his hand go. There's a faint white imprint on his skin from where Keith had grabbed onto him, and the boy focuses on it till it fades away.

"I'm sorry." He says again, gently patting concealer at the bruise. It doesn't really work, but it's better than doing nothing at all. Shiro grabs a brush and starts on Keith's hair. "It's getting long again, you need a haircut." Shiro smirks, lightly pulling at the growing mullet. The haircut somehow suits him.

"No, I wanna get a ponytail like Matt." Keith states.

"Understandable. All the girls seem to like it." Shiro scoffs, putting the brush away and fixing Keith's tie. He pulls on it once to make sure it's sturdy and leaves the room.

"No-" Keith starts. Shiro 'hmm's?' in response, but Keith stays quiet. Shrugging, he grabs both their bags and heads outside. Matt soon screeches into their driveway, puffs of smoke following his arrival. He doesn't honk, aware that Shiro's parents might be home. Shiro was forever thankful for his understanding friend. Matt didn't take it so well at first, almost alerting the authorities if Keith hadn't stepped in. If the authorities were involved Keith would have to go to a different family and Shiro to a different, cheaper school. Neither of the boys wanted that, especially Keith. Matt was a smart guy, always asking questions. He eventually found out about... Their situation... And was quick to challenge them on it. Keith had a private word with Matt and since then he's been, well, not okay, but better with it. He's not sure what Keith said but he was thankful for it, he hated seeing his friends worry. Shiro opens the car door and gets inside, wincing as his bag knocks against his side. Matt raises a brow in question but Keith quickly scoots Shiro over before Matt can ask anything personal.

"Morning!" Shiro puts on a cheerful facade, pulling on Matt's ponytail from the back. Matt snorts and suddenly steps on the accelerator, causing Shiro to face plant into the front seat. "Wow, thanks a lot Matty." He says fondly.

"All for you, dear." Matt responds, flashing him a toothy grin. Keith nudges him in the side, seemingly wanting attention. Shiro gives him a questioning look but Keith looks away. Confused, Shiro brings his attention back to Matt. Matt is toying with the radio, looking up every few seconds to make sure they won't crash.

"Where's Pidge at?" He asks loudly, trying to be heard over the blasting EDM music. Matt loved festivals, going almost every other week. His dad, an astronaut, was currently not around to scold him. His dad was by far the coolest man he'd ever met. Shiro was pretty sure Matt was at least 20% beer and 50% water. The guy did know how to party, he'd give him that.

"Pigeon has some kinda stomach flu! I've been keeping good distance don't worry!" Matt yells over the speakers, not even bothering to turn it down. Shiro looks apologetically at Keith, who's busy holding onto his head as if it'll fall off. Luckily, school isn't too far off from where they live. 15 minutes by car, 20 by bike. 25 if Keith was freeloading. Shiro bought the bike with his hard earned summer money, partaking in various jigs to earn some extra money. Usually, Keith would wake up too late to ride with Matt. Matt didn't mind, said Keith gave him the creeps. Shiro took offence to it at first, eventually leaving the man with his own opinion. They were impossible to change. A positive and negative trait, being stubborn. The car comes to a sudden stop, parked crookedly on the grass. All the parking spots were taken by expensive looking cars and motorcycles. Matt was pretty famous here, with his dad and all. The principal was lenient with Matt- almost to a fault. He'd allow anything to keep him in good graces. Unsurprisingly, seeing as the attractive man was voted 'most likely to be successful' last year. Matt turns the car off with some struggling and races out to open the door for Shiro. Matt bows and grabs his backpack before Shiro can even respond. Shiro tries to protest but Matt's already running off to the distance, waving at some of his other friends. Sighing, he grabs Keith's bag instead and closes the door. Twice. If he wasn't careful, the car door might fall off. Shiro knew she was Matt's pride and joy- but he worried it might someday be the death of him. Or them. He feels a tug on the backpack.

"Are you sure you're feeling alright?" Shiro asks, turning around to hide Keith from suspicious eyes. They were probably already making bets on who Keith fought or didn't fight. The people in this town disgusted him. If Shiro could leave, he would. Another tug on the backpack.

"I'm fine. I have an after-school so don't wait for me." Shiro lets the backpack go, handing it over to Keith who seemed well enough to carry it. His shoulders creaked with thanks, the weight no longer pressing down on all the places that hurt. How the hell did Keith carry this thing around? 

"After-school?" Shiro wants to laugh in surprise. Since when did Keith partake in any activities he wasn't forced into? He holds back his laugh. He has to be a supportive guardian. Supportive. Supportive. He can't help the smile that twitches at his mouth. 

"Yeah, just a study group. Nothing important." Keith adds. Shiro hopes he found some new friends. 

"Alright, I have a swim meet this afternoon so I might get home a little later." Shiro had been trying out swimming since the start of the year, hoping to build up a resume of sports and clubs for applications to universities. It wasn't too tiring, 3 times a week from 3 to 6. It kept him in good shape, and, best of all, it provided free snacks. Allura is 65% sure that Shiro just joined because Adam joined. Honestly, it did play a part. A little bit. He was hot, okay? Light brown skin, deep brown eyes, cute accent and a charming personality. He ticked all the boxes. "We still have some chicken leftovers from the night before. You can heat that up for dinner okay? I'll eat at the meet." Keith nods and leaves without saying goodbye. His brother was probably just worried about the upcoming comments from his classmates. Shiro heads towards Matt, who seemed to be playing air guitar to an intrigued audience. This was going to be a long day. 

___

By the time he's finished with school and heading to the school's private pool, he can feel the exhaustion in his bones. His arm muscles hurt from the sudden exertion last night, scrubbing and mopping till the morning light. He puts an arm around Adam, trying to pass off as a friendly touch while in reality he thought he might pass out without some sort of support. The librarian had swatted him every time he closed his eyes for more than 10 seconds, forcing him to focus on the words swirling around the page. It made him lightheaded. He just needed something to eat. Hopefully they ordered pizza again, or cake. Anything sounds good at this point.

"Are you okay Takashi?" Adam had started calling him by his first name since about a month ago, ever since he found out. A perplexing development. Everyone called him Shiro, mainly for its simplicity. "You look dazed." He continues. Shiro looks in his direction; suddenly face to face. He's sure he goes red at the abrupt closeness. _Darn it . Act cool._

"Uh, yeah I'm fine." He smiles reassuringly but Adam doesn't look convinced. "I just procrastinated the chem. project till the last minute. Didn't get a lot of sleep." Shiro doesn't want Adam to think he's worn out. He has an image to uphold. They head to the changing rooms, Shiro unhooking himself from Adam to get dressed. The other swimmers are watching a fight to the death, noodle against noodle. Shiro is curious who is fighting who, but he wants to get something to eat first. Hurriedly taking off his shirt and stepping into the indoor pool area. He doesn't wait up for Adam like he usually does, suspecting he's probably watching the fight. Making his way to the table, the smell of chlorine invades his senses. It wasn't exactly appetising, but he was too hungry to care. His stomach growls at the image of pepperoni slices laid out chaotically on the plastic table. There were some monster energy drinks, and Shiro couldn't be more thankful. He tries not to eat too quickly, knowing it'll upset his stomach. Usually they don't eat till the end of the meet, but Shiro needed the boost now. A hand taps his back and he flinches. He turns around and finds Adam, eyes bright and smiling. _God, why did you make him so cute?_

"What happened?" Adam asks, eyes pointed downwards. _Shit._ He had forgotten the damn bruises. Pizza halfway to his mouth, he quickly thinks of an excuse while chewing.

"Keith, he- Keith wants to join rugby and asked me to help him practise." He answers, swallowing. He looks down and see's the angry blueish white bruising on his side, going from his waist to chest in two big circles. He awkwardly rubs his hands on his swimming trunks, thinking of a topic to talk about to quickly change the situation. "What's your brother's favourite sport?" Adam's older brother was studying linguistics in France, often video-calling to check in on Adam. They seemed to have a good relationship.

"Keith? Doing rugby? Strange." Shiro briefly fears for his life, wondering how he'd excuse it, but Adam continues. "Tell him to be more careful." Adam's brows were knitted downwards, wrinkles around his forehead. Shiro nods quickly. "It's tennis." Before Shiro can respond the whistle blows, announcing the start of the meet. 

___

While Shiro is drying himself up one of his classmates approach him. Ryan, he remembers faintly. One of Matt's friends. Blonde hair and brown eyes, the local heartthrob.

"Hey, can you tell your kid brother to fuck off?" Ryan asks hotly, eyes flashing.

"W-what?" Shiro starts.

"Yeah, he was watching us the entire meet. Is he gay or something?" Firstly, Shiro feels rage. His muscles tense in anticipation, fight or flight rushing through his veins. Secondly, Shiro feels confusion. Wasn't Keith supposed to be studying with a group? What was he doing watching them swim? Was he worried for Shiro? Why?

"And what if he is?" Shiro opposes, daring Ryan to say another word. Adam, with a towel wrapped around his waist, stands next to Shiro for support. 

"Whatever dude," He says, turning around. "Just tell him to keep his eyes off me and we're fine." Ryan smashes his locker closed and Shiro has to press his nails into his palm to stop flinching. He feels shaky, emotions all over the place. Adam gives him a reassuring look.

"Come on, let's go." Adam says smoothly. Shiro nods and finishes up, lower lip quivering. He will have to question Keith when he gets home.


	5. anger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> catch me at 3 am, searching up french last names. oui oui, I say. Oui oui. homie,,, my hands do be hurting though. thank u first grade typing lessons for giving me the gift of spouting bullshit quickly. not having to think about what im writing before putting it down. it's a gift. shut up, its a gift. plan on updating daily or every other day, depending on how my schooling's going. and fellas, it's not going anywhere. I got final exams in 4 months so thats cool 8) everything is fine. I love life and living. Laugh love live guys. home is where the house is. home is where family gathers, love resides, memories are created and laughter never ends. if i fail this year please write on my grave: Bitch, I lived. Regrets: 0  
> thank you for listening to my ted talk
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS (possible spoilers) be safe, heed the tags xx:   
> manipulation, dubious consent, references to past self harm, uh, gore? and sexy time 8) not actual sex but there is kisst kissy 8)) calm down fellas its a slow burn. kinda. uhh, a spiral down into insanity? kinda slow burn.

Keith isn't home by the time Shiro get's back. Guess he might still be at study group. If there even was a study group to begin with. He drops his bag dejectedly on the hallway floor, feeling drained. His hair was dripping chlorine into his white dress shirt, school jacket thrown lazily on the coat hanger. He goes to the shower, stripping as he walks. Almost tripping when his feet get caught up in his slacks, he manages to stabilize himself just in time. Life was happening in flashes, in scenes. He sits down while showering, not bothering to wash up. The warm water grabs his anxiety and pulls it down the drain, giving him a soft moment of simplicity. He focuses on his breathing and closes his eyes.

___

He wakes up freezing. Skin a scattering of goosebumps, cold to the touch. He quickly turns off the shower, feeling lightheaded when he stands up. He grabs his towel and starts drying himself up, trying to shake the cold away. _Please don't get sick._ Grabbing his pyjamas, he gets dressed. Keith still wasn't home. It was 9 pm, flecks of twilight dancing on the ceiling. Shiro feels anxious. Where would Keith go? Deep in thought, he accidentally drops his sock. He bends down to pick it up and notices something sticking out under Keith's bed. Shiro wonders what his brother is hiding from him. He's been acting so strange lately. Losing friends, clinging onto Shiro- hell, he never even leaves the house anymore unless he has too. He thought they shared everything together? He delicately tugs the blue binder towards him. Maybe a porn collection, he scoffs. He opens it up, landing on the first page of many.

It was a closeup picture of Adam. Notes scrabbled in Keith's characteristic chicken scratches, pointing out various facts about the man. 

** > Adam Wells >18 and 8 months, Shiro's age range. > 1 older brother, mom died when young. Dad professor at french uni. > Lives with Allura, goes by car- east from school. About 15 mins w/car >likes cooking shows >wants to become an architect > Swim team 3-6 w/Shiro >Hospitalised once with a broken arm, 9 years old >Takes 75mg Zoloft every morning >Allergic to peanuts **

Shiro stops reading the list, frowning. This felt personal to Adam, not something he was privy to. Was Keith secretly friends with Adam? Maybe he was romantically attracted to Adam? He hears a cough behind him and turns around so fast he gets whiplash.

"Keith," Shiro quickly pushes the binder back under the bed. Pointless. It felt necessary. What to ask him first... "Do you have a crush on Adam?" He starts. Keith turns red and shuffles his feet back and forth, as if he was caught with his hand in the cookie jar. He glances to the side and then back to Shiro, sharpening his gaze. He straightens his posture, suddenly switching to the offense. His face was scrunched up, almost comically so. But the eyes, the eyes. They held that same coldness. Shiro didn't want to fight, he simply didn't have the energy to.

"Why were you looking through my stuff? You're just like dad. Don't you think you should ask someone before looking through their private things?" Jaw clenched, fists clamped tightly shut. "I can't believe you Shiro. Seriously, what is wrong with you?" The younger boy suddenly seemed so much older. Shiro felt like he'd just been punched. He'd trade a hundred kicks to never see that look on Keith's face again. Anger. "You're just as messed up. It's in your genes." Keith finishes. 

"Keith, wait-" Too late, his brother storms out of the room. Shiro follows a few steps behind, finding himself stuck by the locked bathroom door. "Keith, open up. We need to talk." Dread seeps down his spine. He had hurt his brother so bad he felt the need to hide. How can he make this right? "Keith please, I realize now what I did was wrong. I'm so sorry." No response. Shiro starts growing desperate, knowing that tomorrow night he'd be sleeping over at Allura's. This needed to be solved now, or else it'll fester and rot for a while. "Keith? Answer me." He asks finally, desperately. 

"What will you do for me?" Keith sounds dejected and calm. Shiro feels crestfallen. His whole body slouches from the emotion. _He had made his brother upset._ Get it together.

"Anything, anything. Please open the door." Shiro pauses, turning the words over in his mouth. "Don't hurt yourself please." Shiro pleads, remembering past occurrences where Keith used to dissociate and hurt himself when he was anxious. The sound of the lock clicking brings instant relief. Shiro stands up to meet Keith face to face. The boy had tear streaks down his cheeks, lips pressed into a thin line. 

"Sleep in my bed tonight? I'm scared." 

"Of course, of course." Shiro lets go a breath he didn't know he was holding, embracing Keith tightly before letting go and heading to the bedroom. "I'll grab you some water okay, you can get settled." He suggests, pointing at Keith's bed. He slowly walks to the kitchen to get him water. Shiro runs through what just happened, feeling unsteady. Scared for Keith, then relieved. Fearful discord leading to a puzzling calmness. His feet fight against him, not wanting to take another step. Clouded, he lightly places the cup next to Keith's sleeping form and climbs in next to him. He gets into the space-themed covers softly, trying not to wake his brother up. Laying on his back, he counts to ten in Japanese and falls asleep easily. His body gives up before his mind can.

___

He wakes up to a soft moaning sound. Everything feels too hot, for some reason. He tries to recollect his senses, focusing on opening his eyes. Lying on his side, his knees clash painfully together, legs drenched in sweat. No wonder, as Keith is pressed stiffly against him. He blinks, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. He lazily lies there for a while before he realises that 1. Keith was grinding against his back 2. Keith has an unquestionable hard on. The boy is making soft sounds of distress, seemingly unable to get off. Shiro feels incredibly awkward, knowing he's having a dream involving sex. Possibilities race through his head- unsure of how to wake him up, not wanting him to realize that he was using Shiro as a humping pillow; leading to years of embarrassment for the both of them. Shiro is in a troublesome situation. Trying to shuffle his way out of Keiths clenching hold only leads the boy on more. Keith tightens his hold briefly, nosing near his shoulder. Shiro tries not to react to the spikes of pleasure his body gives him, reminding himself that this was uh, hello, his brother. Think of naked teachers. Think of naked teachers. Think of naked teachers.

"S-Shiro..." Okay, that's where he draws the line. He had to get out now. Was his brother seriously having a wet dream about him right now or was it simply his presence in the bed creating an image in Keith's mind? Before he can shake him awake, Keith latches onto Shiro. With his teeth. Shiro grunts in pain, eyes widening. Keith deepens the wound, pressing in further, before finally letting go. Shiro feels the blood collect in the place where his brothers teeth used to be. Right above his collarbone. Jesus christ. This boy had issues. 

"Keith!" He yelps out, hoping to wake him up. Keith does wake up. Boy, does he wake up. Shiro feels an uncomfortable wetness forming around his butt. It takes him about three seconds before he realises what just happened. "Holy fuck." He states intelligently. Keith lets him go weakly and Shiro takes this opportunity to get the hell away. He runs to the bathroom; not wanting to see Keith's expression. With the door locked, he feels comfortable enough to investigate. He hesitantly reaches for his backside. Sure enough, the cotton is wet and sticky. Grimacing, Shiro washes his hands and slowly takes off his underwear, flinging it off to god knows where. As long as it's away. The knickers somehow fall into the laundry basket; which Shiro thanks God for every day. He gets ready whilst naked, brushing his teeth and hair in quick strokes. If he moved too fast right now, he'd probably throw up. Tying a towel around his waist, he heads out covertly and enters their bedroom. Clear. He closes the door and gets dressed, grabbing his bag. He looks around for Keith, not sure if they're both deciding to forget about this or if he needed to have a serious talk with him. However, it seems he is already gone. Ah yes, the silver lining of this whole ordeal. Keith is finally on time. Shivering in disgust, he opens the door and heads straight to Matt's car; avoiding looking around as if everyone can see what just happened indoors. His only solstice being the sleepover this night, giving him an easy excuse to be away from Keith. He focuses on Matt's easy grin and lets himself forget about it. Just for now.


	6. bonds

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> beach episode chapter. developing shiro + adam relationship. Keith is in the time out corner, plotting his next moves. yes, he is wearing a dunce cap. a big fluff chapter; feel free to skip if ur here for the hard stuff 8) i see u kinksters. dont try to hide behind ur plants. i see u <3 btw i was listening to son lux DBML while writing this, a soft cute little instrumental. it sounds hopeful and free.  
> disclaimer: no offence to chihuahuas ok, i find them very cute. shiro just holds a personal vendetta. that is all. 
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS:   
> maybe some kind of non con/ con? action happening but nothing explicit 8)

The setting sun paints Adam's hair in shades of caramel, an irresistible hazel flavour. Allura is hanging onto Shiro, whispering sweet nothings of what she'd do to that boy. Shiro looks over her head, focusing on the scenery as they pass by. Her white hair a stark deviation to the soft colours of surroundings. An arrangement of Tudor houses line the streets; gardens are trimmed to perfection, not a leaf out of place. Shiro feels distant. Here he is, walking in a suburb he does not belong to, with two beautiful friends clasping onto both of his arms- pushing him onwards. They smile and laugh without a care in the world, talking about something that happened at school that day. Shiro can't forget this morning. He's been trying all day; thinking of advanced calculations to solve, counting all the stars on the science's class ceiling, even rehearsing latin phrases and their meanings. At some point he was humming the periodic table of elements song till he noticed his teacher looking at him with concern. Allura makes some kind of squawking noise and lightly slaps him on the side of his head.

"Earth to Shiro?" She jests, pinching his cheek.

"Yeah, yeah." Shiro relaxes in their grip, letting them drag him forward. He can already see the fenced estate, meaning they are around 5 minutes away. Allura's parents were apparently from royal descent, her father being the cousin's second cousin to the queen. Shiro nodded his understanding at the time but to be honest he's still not sure how they are exactly related. In short, they were rich. This, he was sure of. Allura taps her card against a small sensor attached to the side of the gate, typing in a code. The gate opens with a creak, two giant engraved copper doors sliding apart. A bit of an overkill, but it did look nice. The estate housed 5 grand mansions, each owner a high member of society. Adam's dad must have some sort of connection to Allura's dad, or Adam just hit the jackpot. Shiro hears the never-ending barks of Allura's two chihuahuas (lovingly named Mickey and Minnie) getting closer. They will not be satisfied till they see blood. Shiro cringes at a memory of two years ago; being woken up by the two demons peeing on his sleeping bag. He still had mental scars. Over time the act was forgiven, but not forgotten. Allura still claims it never happened, but Shiro knows better. Allura also claims that flat earthers hold a shred of truth. 

"My babies!" Allura departs from Shiro and Adam, clambering over the white picket fence to reach her 'children'. She has always been an animal lover, working at many animal shelters and fostering multiple damaged pets. Shiro darkly thinks that's why she was friends with him. Something that needed to be fixed. Adam shakes him from his thoughts, loosening his hold of Shiro's arm to open the front door. He politely lets Shiro enter first, getting face to face with Allura's dad.

"Mr. Alfor." He bows his head in respect, waiting for the man's approval. Tall and buff with characteristic white hair, he was a man to behold. He had multiple charity awards under his name, playing a large role in the town's community. Him and his wife, Melenor, had no other familial relationships; their daughter the sole successor. 

"Shirogane!" His booming voice never fails to make him flinch. "How good to see you again, old champ!" Shiro lifts his eyes, smiling at him politely before being engulfed in a bear hug. Right. Adam chuckles behind him.

"You're squeezing him to death old man." Shiro's brows lift in shock at the comment, but the man seems to take it in stride.

"What'd you say? I can't hear you." He releases the student all at once and shuffles off to the kitchen. A man on a mission. Shiro hears some rustling and clanking sounds from the kitchen. He seems to be banging pots and pans together in some kind of new age symphony. Allura races inside and quickly closes the door, causing the two rat-dogs to face plant against the giant oak door. Allura doesn't flinch at the two thuds and grabs onto Shiro's hand, dragging him up the carpeted marble stairs. Her room is decked out in pink's and purples. Lilac ceiling and blue fairy lights. It was so unfitting that it fit. Shiro puts his bag down near the floor, unrolling his (cleaned) sleeping bag right next to her giant bed. Allura walks up to him and manhandles him into a sitting position.

"Wha-?" Shiro manages. He gets his answer, Allura grabbing her makeup box from under the bed. "Oh, no no no." 

"Oh yes yes yes!" Allura repeats, looking around for Adam to aid in her debate. Both silent, they hear the telltale sounds of water. "He must be taking a shower." Her voice is suddenly whispering, scheming blue eyes meeting innocent gray ones. 

"I don't know what your plan is but I will not take part in it." Shiro knows what evading someone's privacy garners, last night fresh in his mind. Allura sighs dramatically and stands up. 

"Just you wait, you'll thank me later." Before Shiro can protest, the girl slowly opens the bathroom door. Steam flows out of the cracks, the thundering sound of water suddenly violently assaulting his ears. Allura enters the bathroom and exits after a minute, holding onto her prize. Namely, Adam's clothes. Shiro shakes his head in defeat, knowing he can't talk her out of it anymore.

"Seriously?" He whisper yells. Allura smiles and ceremonially dumps the clothes on his head. Adam's scent invades his nostrils, deep and cool. Shiro hastily removes the clothes from himself, Allura giggling on her bed. Shiro moves to bring the clothes back to the bathroom door (at least), but Allura stops him.

"Nu, uh." She opens her makeup box and starts on his face; to Shiro's quiet displeasure. Intimately, she moves his face this way and that. She orders him to close his eyes, the ticklish feel of a brush under his nose and the chilly pressure on his lips the only thing on his mind. Content. "Open." A mirror directed at his face shows him a sharper, more elegant him. Eye's underlined with a kohl pencil, lips lightly glossed in a feminine manner. His cheeks look like Allura pinched him for just a little too long, a reddish natural hue. Before Shiro can comment, the bathroom door opens roughly.

"Oh my gosh, so sorry guys! I forgot to bring my clothes in haha." Adam says nonchalantly; as if he wasn't a greek god living amongst mere mortals. Water drips down and collects in all the curves and dips of his body, his long muscled legs on display. Somehow, it feels more compelling in the moment. He's seen him half naked every swim meet; but that felt different. It was like going to work. This was at his best friend's house, the only people seeing Adam like this him and Allura. 

"It's alright!" Allura's sweet voice piques in, looking the boy up and down with a predatory gaze. She turns around to make eye contact with Shiro, raising her eyebrows twice in a suggestive manner. Shiro almost laughs at her reaction, but Adam distracts him.

"Takashi." He states simply. Shiro looks up to meet his face, confused.

"Yeah?" 

"You look nice." He says bluntly, slightly going red at the ears. Shiro wants to yip in delight but composes himself. 

"Oh uh, this? Thanks." Allura stays silent next to him, but he knows that deep in her heart she is arranging their wedding. Adam smiles, embarrassed, and grabs some clothes from his closet. Shiro hopes he didn't notice his stolen clothes flung around him and Allura, because that would garner some explaining to do. The man retreats to the bathroom to get dressed, closing the door behind him. Allura takes this private moment to hug him tightly, whisper screaming in his ear. Shiro responds in a similar matter.

____

After dinner (barbecue, with Alfor wearing a "Kiss the cook" apron), they get ready for bed. The plans for tomorrow mainly being homework. Shiro was thankful for all the time they had to just relax, but work was always at the back of his mind. Brushing his teeth while Adam gets ready next to him, he hears the sound one must hear in hell. The chihuahuas. He spits out his toothpaste in the sink and rushes out the door, finding the two dogs jumping around and biting into anything they could get their claws on. Shiro's eyes widen in surprise, noticing Allura sprinting from one corner to the next to catch them. Adam stands closely behind him, watching the scene unfold while brushing his teeth. Suddenly, everything moves in slow mo. Shiro starts to run towards his sleeping bag, toothbrush in hand, knowing he'll be too late. Minnie, wearing a pink bow around her neck, squats on his only source of comfort for the night. He hears Allura's battle cry, but even she cannot prevent what is about to happen. 

___

The three of them lay in the pink bed. Originally, it was going to be just Adam and Allura on the four poster bed, lying at different directions. However, with the events that had transpired they were forced to reconsider. Allura lay on the far right, Shiro was positioned in the middle and Adam on the left side. To say they had lots of room to breathe was a lie. Shiro had to lay on his side to avoid touching either of them, uncomfortably positioning himself to make sure he could evade contact at all costs. He hears the delicate breathing from his two friends, muted snoring from Adam. For some reason, he just couldn't fall asleep. He was wondering what Keith was up to, if he was okay alone. He had made the promise to never leave him again, but even he needed some time off. Keith wasn't a burden; but even doting parents sent their kids off to daycare. Shiro can't really remember times when Keith _wasn't_ there. He would do anything for him, but their bond was bordering on unhealthy. Adam makes a lax sound, mumbling some words in his sleep, and shifts closer to Shiro. Oh no. Not again. Adam doesn't move any closer. They are hair-width apart, Shiro feeling more awake than ever. The man's breathing pattern calms Shiro down, copying the deep in's and out's. He closes his eyes, engulfed in the smell of Adam. Adam, Adam, Adam. Conjoining waves and silent laughter- stratus clouds and unrecognised tenderness. He drifts off.

__

The morning starts with heat. A large arm is loosely flung over his chest, Adam's face centimetres away from his shoulder. Shiro get's a vague sense of deja vu. Yet, this was unique. The moment held its own rare awareness, something like comfort. Shiro hums softly. He falls back asleep easily.


	7. blood

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shiro is back home, Keith is an unhappy boy.  
> TW: uh blood, glass, jealousy 8)  
> be careful my dudes stay safe. im posting another update tomorrow oh wait thats today nevermind im posting another chapter today 8) to make up for it cause its a little short? aha we can see Keith's decline in stability uwu very well in this chapter owo i have school in 7 hours so im gonna go sleep now xxxxxxx

"I'm home!" He hears a sudden crash and thud, followed by shuffling feet. Shiro raises an eyebrow and heads to the living room, throwing his deceased sleeping bag in the laundry basket like a basketball. Score.

"Shiro." Keith says from behind him. Shiro jumps in his skin, turning around.

"Keith, you scared me." He laughs. His brother smiles widely, strangely. All teeth and canines.

"How was the sleepover?" The boy looked sleep deprived and hungry, hungry for something. 

"You know, the usual." Shiro looks everywhere but at Keith, uncomfortable at the sudden shift in atmosphere. Why did he feel the need to tiptoe around Keith? He switches the subject. "Have you had lunch yet?" Shiro starts to walks around him, heading to the kitchen, but is held back by a hand wrapped tightly to his upper arm. An anxious grip. Shaky.

"I missed you." Keith whispers, like a secret. Shiro smiles and ruffles his hair with his free arm. He awkwardly moves forward for a second to get out of the hold, but Keith doesn't relent. His thumb lightly strokes Shiro's skin, goosebumps form at the fragility of the act. 

"Keith, it's okay. I'm back." He lets his arm go limp, stating his submission- letting Keith in.

"Why do you keep leaving me?" The boy sounds tense, his hold becoming bruisingly firm. The sudden turn to offensive caught him off guard. Shiro's gaze darkens, pulling his arm with more effort. "And for what," Keith continues, "those two 'friends' who use you as their ego booster?" Shiro shakes his head in disbelief. He knew better. He pulls hard one more time and escapes, tensely walking to his bedroom. He hears an agitated sigh behind him but doesn't give it his time of day to respond. Whatever was happening with Keith, he needed to sort out his own issues and stop dumping it on Shiro. He had no right to talk about his friends like that. Allura has been with him since the very beginning, and Adam literally radiated sunlight and hope. They wouldn't ever hurt him. He throws all the sudden doubts out and free-falls onto his bed.

__

Shiro expertly flips the pancake, hearing the satisfying sizzle of butter. Behind him, clapping. Shiro smiles despite himself. He wanted to be angry for longer, but he just couldn't stay mad at Keith. He'd use those puppy dog eyes, never actually saying sorry. Keith was setting out the table, placing their plates next to each other. It felt right. It felt like home.

"Are they almost done?" Always impatient, he lets Keith's whines in one ear and out the other. He cannot be distracted; not for this important task. He aims his pan up and does his signature wrist move. To his great dismay, it lands with a resounding splat on the tiled ground. Shiro groans in anguish. Keith laughs heartily and wraps his arms around Shiro's waist in mock comfort. "How will you ever recover, oh brother mine?" He whispers in his ear, standing on his tiptoes to reach Shiro's ear.

"Emotionally? Never." Shiro's hair raises at Keith's warm breaths on the back of his neck. He moves to turn around and Keith dislodges himself. Shiro places the pancakes on the table, grabbing the maple syrup from a wooden cabinet. Soon, they are both seated and discussing normal things. For once. Keith laughs at Shiro's stories and provides his own, talking about some fool named 'Lance'. Apparently Lance liked to prank his teachers. Shiro watches his brother, the way he lights up at every conversation. His full laugh, given in the rarest of moments and fostered with open hands. If Keith's classmates could see him like this they'd fight to be his friend. Keith grabs his fork and angrily shoves in the last bite that they'd been fighting over for the past 5 minutes, muffling Shiro's complaints. He almost chokes and chews rapidly to keep up with Keith's urgent pushing. Once finished he grabs his cup and gulps down his water, throat unexpectedly dry. 

"What was that for?" he grumbled, wiping away the maple syrup on his cheek. Keith doesn't answer, grabbing their plates and moving to wash them. Shiro cocks his head in confusion, watching his narrow back tense while scrubbing the dishes. "Hey, be careful there." Shiro warns, standing up to help him. Before he even reaches him, the boy yelps in pain.

"Ow!" Keith cut his ring finger on a broken glass cup, presenting it to Shiro with great seriousness. Shiro sighs and turns around to grab the first aid kit. He sits the boy down on the floor and carefully lays out his materials. "Ow, ow ow." Keith repeats as he gently applies antiseptic gel to the bleeding wound. Luckily, there was no glass to pick out. That would result in bruises on Shiro's end, Keith slapping him away with fear.

"What got you so irritated?" Shiro asks, rummaging the box for a suitable bandage with steady hands. He looks up briefly to catch Keith's expression. His head is leaning on the kitchen counter, eyes closed. Keith had always been a little weak around blood. Shiro was always there to help him out; in fact he took a first aid course just for him. It was necessary with their... family situation. Keith's eyebrows furrow, clearly thinking hard for his answer.

"You and Adam." Keith slightly opens his eyes, looking down at him. Shiro is suddenly hit with the hammer of understanding. Of course Keith would be angry he was hanging out so closely with Adam. Shiro stopped himself from slapping his forehead. Watching the swim meet, the binder, Keith's blatant jealousy; Keith had a crush on Adam. 

"Oh Keith, I'm so sorry. I can be so ignorant." He starts, eyes filled with guilt. "I don’t even know how I can help you, because I like him too." Shiro admits, scooting away to give him some space to calm down. No wonder he was agitated. Keith clenches his jaw and closes his eyes again. "Get out of my sight." Keith pinches the bridge of his nose, body disturbingly still.

"I... Can we talk about this later?" Shiro asks, stumped for words. Not only did he admit his crush to his brother, he found out Keith liked Adam too. It complicated things immensely. Shiro runs through a thousand scenarios where both of them end up hurt. He doesn't want to leave it at this, he needs to understand Keith and help him- somehow.

"Fine. For now, can you stop hanging onto Adam like some lovesick puppy?" His tone is grave and insulting, Shiro opens his mouth to say something but he's not even sure how to respond. "I can't stand it." Keith seethes. Shiro closes his mouth and nods dejectedly. Just for a while, he comforts himself. Until Keith and him can figure this out when their emotions aren't so high and they've both took a breather. Besides, wasn't Adam a little old for Keith? Shiro was just grasping for straws at this point. He's allowed to have a crush on Adam, Keith can't take away his feelings.

"I'm sorry Keith, when you're ready please talk to me." 

"Sure. I'm going to bed." Shiro watches his stiff retreating form till he can't see him anymore. He looks down at his bloody hands. It smells like metal, the hospital and terror.


	8. crush

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith: sHiRo pls let me straddle u :3 owo shiro ur so hot aha, wow- look at those muscles. i didnt notice them before aha owo. aha ur so sexy pls dont leave me. aha just kidding, i dont need u to live... unless?   
> Shiro: cat with salad
> 
> also i was listening to Swing Lynn by Harmless. It fucka me up everytime.

Shiro always saw the best in people. It was his hubris- always expecting the good. His parents didn't beat him for no reason, they just wanted the best for him. So when Keith grabbed him in the school hallway and pushed him towards the lockers for some sort of privacy, he stood with open ears. Students were shoving each other to get to the cafeteria, all hallways leading to the main lounge. It was a wild storm of flying papers and loaded bags. Shiro roughly gets jostled closer to Keith, turning his head around to catch the culprit but finding a stream of unknown people. He turns his head back around, facing Keith.

"Keith?" His brother seems to be sickly, cheeks red and shoulders lax. He's leaning against the lockers, trapped in Shiro's sudden position.

"Sit with me during break." How could Shiro say no? His brother needed him. He was briefly reminded of his worry that Keith might be getting bullied but remembered he wasn't allowed to interfere with his brothers personal life. He runs his tongue over his teeth and nods. Keith ducks out under him and grabs his hand, leading them into the stream of people.

He can see his friends sitting nearby, looking around for Shiro. He tries to wave at them but they don't see him, Keith roughly pulls him onwards. Finally, at the corner of the cafeteria, Keith pulls him down to sit next to him on the table. It was relatively out of sight and definitely abandoned. The wooden table was filled with graffiti of both sexual acts and swastikas. An interesting combination. Keith lets go of his hand and Shiro moved to grab his lunch out of his bag. Two sandwiches with peanut butter made earlier that morning. Keith hauls out the exact same and starts chomping down like he's never seen food.

"Hungry?" Shiro asks with a bemused smirk. 

"Ya." Keith mutters out smartly while chewing. Shiro shakes his head and focuses on his surroundings. He's never been to this side before, it was too quiet. Shiro liked being around people. There was safety in numbers; his dad would never hit him in front of a crowd. He watches as two students make a wide berth around their table and casts a confused glance at Keith. The boy shrugs and watches as the students move to sit a bit further, closer to the others. Were they that disgusted by Keith? Shiro felt angry for his brother. How dare they treat someone with so little respect? A loud booming laugh interrupts him from his sandwich, aiming his gaze at the nearby table to see what was going on. A buff yet somehow chubby man was pointing something out to his friends on his laptop screen. Shiro faintly recognises one of the friends as Lance, Keith's 'supposed' rival. Pidge was also sitting with them! Shiro almost waves to catch her attention when she gives a sharp glance in their direction, lightly tapping the laughing boy's shoulder. He follows her gaze and immediately stops laughing, closing his laptop with a sad face. Shiro looks around him for the thing they were all pointing at in horror. Did he have something on his face? 

"Hey Kei-" He was about to ask him if he did indeed have something on his face when he noticed Keith's tense shoulders, his eyes piercing Pidge with some sort of annoyance. "What's wrong?" Keith switches his hard look to Shiro and instantly becomes soft, a strange switch that catches him off guard. Violence mixed with care. It tasted familiar. 

"Nothing, I was just wondering what they were doing." Keith assured, an edge to his voice. Shiro accepts the explanation and finishes his sandwich, Keith's eyes on him the entire time. Vaguely uncomfortable, he puts his lunch box back into his bag and checks what he has next.

"Oh shit, Adam was supposed to help me out with my chem. homework!" He had chemistry in about ten minutes, giving him an eight minute window to finish it off. He just didn't understand how Adam figured out the calculation and needed some extra assistance, nothing major. Nonetheless, he had to leave Keith.

"I'll come with." Or not. Shiro gives him a once over to make sure he was serious; Keith hated his friends, once telling him he'd rather eat cat food for the rest of his life than talk to them. Maybe he wanted to get closer to Adam. That made sense.

"Alrighty then." Shiro stands up and leads his brother to their table. When they get nearby Pidge and her friends, they shrink in on themselves, looking away. Shiro would have to ask Matt what was up with her. He looks for his friends and finds them easily, Adam impossibly radiating with light. He had a worried frown on his face, eyes searching. Shiro tells his heart to calm the fuck down, he was probably looking for someone or something else, when they meet eyes. Adam's heart shaped lips draw up into a smile, beaming him closer with a hand. Shiro smiles back in his own manner; a private interaction between the two. They've shared almost everything, but not the meaning behind the smiles. Those private moments, like when Adam was clearly awake and yet pretended to be asleep just so he could enjoy the nearness a little longer, or the way his voice changes in tone when he says his name- 'Takashi' is only for Adam. He had stolen his name and Shiro gave it away with an open heart. Here, this is who he wanted to be, all his hopes and dreams. Leave behind Shirogane, it only reminded him of his father's footsteps. The shoes he still had to fill.

"Decided you didn't want to fail chemistry?" Adam drawls, somehow flirtatious.

"Shut up," he laughs, quickly finding his spot next to him. "The only one failing chem. is you, 'Mr. Hydrogen is the first element, right!?!'." Allura and Matt snicker, pretending to be on their phones when Adam tries to find sympathy with mock hurt. Keith scoots in next to him, forcing the three boys to sit thigh to thigh. Luckily, the crappy cafeteria bench doesn't crack under their weight. Shiro and Adam were big boys, after all. Allura gives Keith a wide eyed stare and visibly pinches herself on her arm.

"I never thought this day would come." She states, stretching her arms for a hug. Keith leans away from her with all his might, finding himself stuck between Shiro and Allura. Shiro almost interjects when Allura backs off with a disappointed frown. "No fun." She concludes, retreating to her own seat. Meanwhile, Shiro is pressed painfully against Adam. Continuing his discussion on his homework problems with a red face, embarrassingly flustered. Keith scoots back in mercy to give him some more space.

"Oh my gosh, that's so easy!" Shiro claps happily, Adam clapping with him in excitement. A few students around them inspect to see what the commotion is, turning back around when they realize it's just Shiro and Adam being idiots again. 

"Right? It's just explained wrongly." While Adam continues on his tangent about how the book was written by a 'fraud' and 'how could you possibly miss this in edit' blah blah blah, Shiro feels Keith attempt to start a foot war with him. Keith, sitting with his legs crossed, lightly bumps Shiro's right leg with his shoe and traces lightly from knee to calf. Shiro smiles at Keith but shakes his head. Why would they start a foot war right now, he had work to do. Aggravated, Keith kicks him and Shiro flinches in surprise.

"Huh?" Adam asks, analysing the situation from behind Shiro's shoulder. "Keith, I didn't know you were here! You should have said something." Adam laughs lightly. "It's always a pleasure to see Shiro's brother, right?" Adam puts extra emphasis on brother for some reason, tugging at Shiro's tuff of hair. Shiro huffs angrily and swats at Adam.

"Right." Matt responds with shifty eyes, not even trying to hide his irritation. Allura smiles sweetly, nodding. He could always depend on Allura for backup. He didn't want his brother to get embarrassed in front of his crush. Keith shifts in his seat and leans on the table, resting his head on his hand and regards Adam with a scrutinising glare. Matt decides it's prime time to leave and heads to his robotics friends. Shiro coughs awkwardly and focuses on his homework again. Adam, however, is not focusing.

"I wanted to get to know you guys better. You know, test the waters." Keith explained, eyes only on Adam. Adam gives him his signature golden boy smile.

"I'm glad." Another thing Shiro loved about Adam; he couldn't lie to save his life. Shiro wonders about the apparent distrust of Keith, feeling lost at how to unite his two worlds. Adam stretches an arm around Shiro casually, leaning back in his seat. Shiro's heart tips over for a second before he regains control. It's not like Adam's never done this before; he did it multiple times. Casual touches, knee's meeting or a hand running through his hair. For some reason, it felt intimate now. Ever since the sleepover he's been overthinking everything, wondering if Adam could/would ever see him as more.

The bell rings wrathfully, leaving Shiro to ponder for another day. Keith has a scowl on his face and doesn't say so much as a goodbye. Shiro wonders what changed his mood when Adam, yet again, wraps an arm around his shoulder and leads him to their classroom; away from Keith's brooding form.

"I hope we get extra points for finding the mistake." Adam states, as if Shiro played a part in figuring out the mistake. As they make their way through the flurry of people and bags, Shiro feels strangely grounded in Adam's hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayee its friday have a fantastic weekend everyone! stay safe and. dont die >:( if u di e ill be very mad.  
> sorry its 2 hours late aha some life issues got in the way 😍i am a ball of anxiety  
> gonna go edit some of the previous chapters later to add some details (nothing plot changing dw, no new ppl introduced or anything i just realized how unfinished the first chapter is lol ) / fix some minor mistakes and errors.   
> a lot of head turning in this chap huh hahaha


	9. secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Matt tells shiro WHAT THE FUCK IS UP, keith?!
> 
> TRIGGER WARNINGS/spoilers kinda:  
> a lot of swearing, violence/fighting, blood, kinda gore?? Manipulation, mention of non consensual nudes sharing. which is very wrong andd a felony. nobody ever ddo that. 
> 
> songs i listened to while writing and are nice woudl recoommend: Bloody Shirt by To Kill a King (Bastille Remix) and Young and Menace by Fall Out Boy. (the classics of course. I am a person with very refined tastes.)

Matt is driving him home when he confronts him. The music was turned low, which should have been the first warning that things were about to go down.

"Something is really wrong with your brother, Shiro." He looks at Matts face to see if he is joking, but he looks dead serious. Eyes on the road, hands loosely on the wheel. "All his classmates are scared of him. Hell, even Pidge's scared of him." Pidge was reportedly the spider-remover of their household. No one messed with the spider-remover.

"You're wrong, he's just been bullied and grew a bad rep." Shiro interjects, upset. Who did Matt think he was? Keith was clearly struggling. He didn't expect this from one of his best friends.

"Shiro I'm just telling you this because I love you, okay?" Matt continues despite Shiro's baffled expression. "He brings a knife to school everyday, he threatens anyone who gets in his way and he's mean as fuck." 

"You of all people should know why Keith is like that." He tightens his hold on his bag straps again, looking out the window to control himself.

"That doesn't make it okay! He was playing Pidge for so long. Claiming he loved her, yada yada. He's an asshole." And softer, "He broke her heart."

"I- I had no idea Matt. I'm sorry, I'll talk to him okay?"

"No. You always stand up for his mistakes. I'm done with it." Matt starts yelling and Shiro flinches in shock. He's never heard him this mad before. "You know what he told me to stop calling the police? That he would hurt Pidge. That he knew where we lived. He said he'd spread this nude picture he got from her when he was spying on us." Matt is seething, hands suddenly tight on the wheel. "He was stalking her! He took that picture without her permission and is using it as blackmail!" Matt hissed at the stopping light, his brows lowering into an aggravated frown. "You know what- I've had enough. I don't want to see him around anymore or I swear to god I'll fuck him up." 

"Matt, that's not necessary okay? I'll handle this. What he did is horrible. He won't get away with it, I'll make sure of it." Shiro pleaded. He was so surprised at the information. Keith needed help, Jesus. How was he going to make this right? "I'll make him delete the picture, please don't hurt him." Matt was sometimes too aggressive for the people he cared about. It was kind of him, but usually unasked for. His fighting streak was widely known around the school; the principal too forgiving. 

"Just keep him out of my sight. He needs to stop hanging onto you like that too. It's weird." Matt declared, driving into their driveway. 

"I'm sorry Matt. I had no idea, if I had known sooner-"

"Yeah, just get out. I'm mad." Shiro nodded, eyes lowering. He grabs the door handle and exits quietly. 

___

"Keith, we need to talk." The boy had just arrived, bag still in hand. He runs a hand through his hair, making direct eye contact with Shiro. Shiro feels like he's about to burst; but he would never harm Keith. He needed to be in control; he needed to be the adult in this situation. Keith sits on the other side of the dining table, bag on the floor.

"What's up?" Keith asks nonchalantly. How could he lie about what was going on for so long?

"I heard from someone that you're not particularly nice to your classmates. I noticed it during lunch too." Shiro starts, watching for his reaction.

"Okay... What do you want me to say?" His face was flat. At least he wasn't amused?

"Well. Maybe that you're going to stop doing so?" Shiro faltered at the lack of Keith's response, his aloofness not quite mixing with Shiro's empathetic nature. 

"Okay. Who told you this?" 

"How does that matter? I'm a little disappointed Keith. I thought you were better than that." Shiro obviously wasn't going to tell him it was Matt, worried (God, why did he need to be worried?!) for Keith's possible violence.

"Okay. Who told you?"

"That isn't important! You need to put an end to this, understood?" Shiro stutters, aflush with emotions. He was getting a little annoyed and, dare he say it, frightened of Keith. He still had that unemotional face, but his body was tense. It was something he'd seen many times before; when the adrenaline starts coursing through your veins in preparation for fight or flight.

"It was Matt, wasn't it?" He concluded. Shiro was about to say it wasn't when Keith stands up promptly and heads to the door. Just like that, he's gone.

"Wait, Keith!" Shiro yells, standing up to follow the boy. He runs outside and sees Keith bolt off on his bike. Oh god. Was he headed to the Holts? Shit, shit shit. He looks around chaotically for some mode of transport, but finds nothing. Shit. He'd have to run. He starts off in a sprint, tapping in Matt's number unsuccessfully numerous times. Finally, he gets it right. Huffing, he waits anxiously for Matt to pick up. As soon as he hears the beep he starts yelling.

"Matt!" He pants, turning his volume up to hear him better due to his resounding footsteps jolting his whole body. 

"What the, did you forget your bag or something?" It had been around 10 minutes since Shiro was dropped off, which meant Matt was most definitely home. If he could sprint nonstop, he might make it there in 6 minutes. Keith was probably already rounding the corner. Fuck!

"Matt, it's Keith! He's on his bike, I tried to stop him oh my god, Matt!"

"Calm down, calm down. He's a small fry, I can handle him." Matt laughs. 

"I don't want anyone to get hurt!" Shiro panics, breathing in too deeply. His side aches but he runs through it. "Keith he's- something's wrong." Shiro hears banging on the other side and Matt suddenly stops the call without saying goodbye. Shiro huffs and increases his pace. He's nearing the corner, worrying what he might find. 

Sure enough, Matt and Keith are going at each other. Their clothes were scruffy and broken, fists red. Why was Keith so mad? As Shiro gets closer he notices Pidge standing at the doorway, looking terrified. Matt gasps and Shiro quickly focuses on him. By the time he's close enough to help, Keith's holding Matt down with a long, needle point knife. 

"Keith!" He wheezes, closing in on the boys. Keith is bleeding from his nose- giving Shiro a flashback of the last time he was bleeding like that. His blood drips down onto Matt's fearful face, merging with his hair. Keith doesn't react to Shiro, pressing down his knife. Matt makes a struggled noise and Shiro panics, grabbing onto Keith's waist to pull him away. Pidge is screaming somewhere behind him, calling for her mom. Keith recoils in his arms, launching his elbow into Shiro's face. "Ach!" He yelps, his cheek turning numb. "Keith, it's me!" Shiro tightens his hold but Keith is unrelenting, animalistic. He twists in Shiro's hold, suddenly facing Shiro with flashing eyes. Shiro zooms in on Matt, worried. The brown haired boy is holding onto his throat in shock, a small trail of blood flowing down his hand and staining his white shirt. Relieved he wasn't intensely injured, he focuses on Keith again. Realizing Keith now had prime positioning to stab him, he quickly lets go. Keith staggers but corrects himself and pounces on Shiro. Shiro puts his arms in front of his face, trying to stop the ambush. Keith lands on him with all his weight, pushing him backwards. Shiro trips on his own feet and falls, managing to put an arm out to stop his descent. He hears something crunch, his right arm screaming in agony. He doesn't have time to check the damage. Just like that, Keith is on top of him. Getting deja-vu to Matt's situation, Shiro brings his good arm towards his own throat for protection. Keith snarls in anger. 

"Keith!" He repeats, trying to bring him back to the present. He got like this sometimes, when he was in fight or flight. Suddenly, everyone was a threat to him. Shiro usually knew how to handle him in these moments, but never with a knife. Shiro removes his eyes from the knife and looks in Keith's eyes. Gray blue, almost lilac in the setting sun. "Keith." He says again softly. Keith looks him up and down and swiftly drops the knife next to him. The knife clatters on the ground and Keith's eyes well up.

"Shiro- Shiro I-" He starts crying. Shiro brings himself to a sitting position with the arm that isn't in pain and embraces Keith. 

"Shhh, it's okay. You're safe now." Shiro hums. Keith instantly latches onto him, making him to wince in pain. The tears start soaking into his T-shirt, but he doesn't care. He swiftly looks around to see if everyone was okay. Matt was watching them with an appalled look, mouth slightly open and eyes narrowed. Pidge was sitting next to him, seeming to check him over for injuries. Mrs. Holt was quickly heading to Matthew, shocked. 

___

They only decided not to press charges as Matt wasn't that badly injured, sustaining some bruises and a thin red line across his throat. Shiro's relationship with Matt also played a large role in their decision, but Matt made it clear there wouldn't be a second time. Keith biked Shiro home after some quick discussions on what happened, including multiple apologies from Shiro. He had put his friends in danger yet again. He should have found someone to blame that Keith wouldn't hold a personal vendetta against instead of leaving it in the open. When they finally got home Keith grabbed the first aid kit and got to work. He splinted Shiro's arm for the time being, having to wait till their dad would come home again to fix it correctly. They didn't want to spend more money on their kids then they had to, and a broken arm should be easy to fix, Right? Shiro gets a paracetamol but it doesn't really help. The emotional guilt and the physical pain keeps him up, an occasional groan when he unintentionally uses his arm. The one good thing was that it was his left arm; so he could still write. Keith, on the other hand, had yet another array of bruises on his face, Shiro tutting while cleaning him up slowly. He felt awkward with just one arm, uncoordinated. He worried what this would do to his swimming credits.

"What were you thinking?"

"I wasn't." 

Shiro wondered what the rumours would be like at school that morning, no doubt that the fight was heard by other students living nearby. Matt apparently opened the front door for Keith, not expecting him to have brought his knife- or even use his knife. He thought it'd be a basic drawl, something he was confident in. Not a life or death situation. Keith had a weird look in his eyes and Matt called for Pidge to back him up in case things went wrong. Matt went outside and they started the fight, huffing and puffing. 

Matt was angry that Shiro seemed to be on Keith's "side", which wasn't really true. Matt would do the same for Pidge. He was sure of that. Besides, he was angry with Keith. Really angry. But he didn't have the energy to fight right then. Hoping to make things right, Shiro had reached for his phone to text Matt as soon as they got home; but his phone was cracked to pieces. Shiro's only shining light was that the term was almost over. He could get some part time jobs again while his arm heals and buy a cheap throwaway to replace the wrecked one he held dejectedly in his palm. The only hardship's left on his list of things to be done was confront Keith and wait for their parents to find out. He'd be lucky if they even decide to heal his arm with all the rumours flying around about their family. Adam and Allura were probably worried sick at his lack of response. Hopefully Matt will inform them of what happened. Hopefully Matt still wanted to be his friend.

God, what had he done?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> aha sorry A level information technology test due 5 days ago, i had to write sheith :) mr van vliet if u see this, im sorry too. i wrote this up in 3 hours and now i need to take a shower. also i have a lot of IDEAS for the upcoming chapters very excited :)))) shiro;s gonna get hurt like HELL. i live vicariously through shiro and thats the tea.  
> ALSO YOOOO the bloody shirt song fits keith and shiro so well *crying*  
> "It's too late to say you're sorry  
> Say you're sorry still  
> I stepped out with heavy heart  
> To bail you out again  
> Oh those things you do  
> Oh those things you do" *crying*  
> i just added young and menance cause i get hype to that song all the time. u can play that at my funeral and id probably resuurect for 5 seconds and use all the energy left in my dead cells to dance untiul i run out of energy and die again. its fitting for every scenario. try it.


	10. pain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> oh oop shit goes down in this chap be careful heed the tags <3   
>  woodkid - goliath

With the first semester finally coming to its end, Shiro couldn't wait to catch a break and possibly make some money with part time jobs. The best part about the two week break was that their parents wouldn't be home as they don't have to 'check' on their sons. They stayed at a small rental apartment nearby the hospital. At least, thats what they said.  
The two brothers had never been to the apartment, their parents finding it unnecessary. They didn't mind, now they had the house all to themselves. Shiro and Keith wanted to celebrate that Friday night with a Grey's Anatomy marathon. Blankets were spread out on the floor and they brought pillows from all the rooms to the living room floor to create a nest of fluff. They both get settled in with a sigh. Before he can press play, a loud knock disturbs them. Keith groans.

"I'll get it." Shiro painstakingly leaves his comfortable position to find out who was knocking at their door at 9 pm. Shiro opens the door to Adam, mid-knock. "Oh."

"Sorry! I hope I'm not disturbing anything or something..." Adam looks sharper with the striking white outdoor light, highlighting his high cheekbones and glasses which create straight dark lines on his features. He is panting in exertion, sweat dripping down his brow. Shiro looks behind him and notices Adam's bike near their garage. Did he bike all the way here... At night? Adaam reluctantly lowers his fist, swallowing hard. 

"No, not at all." Shiro smiles, "What's up?"

Adam could have just called him, but apparently this was something important. Or private. Shiro had arranged multiple dates during school to hang out with his friends for the break, all laid out in his agenda. Ever since his phone broke he's been leeching off from the home telephone, sparingly calling to avoid his parents questions and complaints. 

"I was just wondering..." Adam brings a hand to the back of his neck, looking down at the pavement. "If maybe we could, you know, go on a date sometime?" He looks up again with earnest eyes. Shiro is taken aback.

"I-"

Adam laughs, "You're probably confused, sorry! It's just..." He sways from side to side in an adorable manner; thinking over his words carefully. "You being harder to reach has made me realize how much I might actually... Need you?" He laughs again, softer this time. He's embarrassed- ashamed. "I mean, I don't even know if you're gay... Please don't let this ruin our friendship?"

"Adam, I would love to go on a date with you! I wasn't sure if you were into me that way but I've been crushing on you since I first saw you." Shiro admits, beaming. "What time and where?" He asks eagerly. Adam is radiating sunshine, giving the full moon a brighter glow.

"I am so happy right now!" Adam exclaims and grabs his phone from his pocket. "What about Tuesday afternoon at the carnival? If we use your aim and my arm, we could win so many prizes!" He is practically bouncing up and down and Shiro laughs. "I'll come pick you up!"

"Great idea haha, I've always wanted a hot caretaker." He thumps his bandaged arm against his chest and Adam tracks the movement, smile briefly leaving his expression.

"Awesome! I have to go now before Alfor notices I'm gone and calls his security guards on me." Adam skips back to his bike, waving excitably at Shiro's form leaning on the doorway. Shiro can't keep the smile from his face. He closes the door and turns around - right into Keith's arms.

"You know you can't..." Keith states dejectedly, holding his waist in a tight grip. 

"Keith..." He brings his good hand to the boy's hair, softly petting him. "I really, really like Adam." He'd regret those words later. Keith nods in acceptance, keeping his face buried in Shiro's chest. The bigger man sighs and leads him towards the living room, Keith's feet dragging behind him. They get settled in their places again, pressing play.

The night goes on slowly, tension high in the air. Shiro doesn't comment on it, wishing things weren't so clouded between them. Should he feel bad for accepting Adam's proposal? Keith hasn't said a word to him since the confession, quietly brooding. He seemed zoned out, eyes hazy. Shiro is disappointed the celebration turned so sour. Keith suddenly moves, standing up and stretching his arms above him. 

"Bathroom." He mumbles. Shiro moves to pause the CD but Keith waves him off. He shrugs and continues to watch. Keith did tell him to stay away from Adam, but... It wasn't like Adam was a piece of meat to be fought over... Shiro couldn't help his feelings and Adam choose him, after all. Right? Shiro continues reasoning with himself until he hears Keith's returning footsteps. That was fast. They sound heavy, more silent. Shiro is well attuned with his surroundings, the hairs on his neck standing up. He can tell when something's about to go down. Keith wouldn't hurt him anyways... He turns around and climbs up on to the sofa, discarding heavy blankets as he goes. Looking over the ledge, he sees Keith. He's holding onto something. A pan. Confused, he opens his mouth to ask a question when Keith starts striding towards him. Shiro backs away with practised ease and scrambles onto his feet. Keith aims for his head with ruthless energy, forcing Shiro to dodge and lose his footing on a pillow. Struggling to balance himself, Keith puts a hand on his chest and pushes lightly. Shiro falls. Deja vu. Yet again, he brings his arm down to protect his head from cracking on the floor, an inhuman groan of pain leaving him when he lands on his bad arm. Turning around to put his weight off his arm, he is unwillingly briefly displayed on his back for Keith. The boy takes his chance and Shiro, in surprise, brings up his aching arm again to stop the pan from meeting his head. It clanks angrily against his bones, a sound like nails screeching on chalkboard invading his senses. He breathes in and out to try and manage the pain, seeing flecks of black in his vision. Not good. 

"Keith, what the fuck!?" He yells, holding onto his broken arm like a baby. Their dad hadn't spent much time on it, claiming he was busy. He said it'd grow back, wrongly, but back. Shiro couldn't hope for much more. However, Keith was destroying any chance of his arm healing enough to be usable. "Stop!" He orders. Keith sighs loudly, exasperated.

"It's for your own good, trust me." Shiro has never trusted the boy less. Was he in a manic state? What was he thinking? Shiro could die! He starts to protest when he hears loud clang. Did he hit his arm again? Shiro only sees black. Tired, he thinks. I'm tired.

________

He wakes up to a pounding headache and an unbearable pain in his arm. He doesn't want to open his eyes; knowing the light will only hurt like hell. He tries to move his numb hands but finds he can't, something tightly bounding his wrists together. He breathes deeply in shock, opening his eyes despite the pain.

It's day. He's still in the living room. A nightmare? "Shiro," A voice coos. "You're awake." Shiro lifts his eyes, finding Keith hunched down to look at him, hands on his knees. Shiro is laying on the plethora of blankets but finds no comfort. Keith's hooded eyes hiding something sinister. Shiro struggles, trying to get his wrists free. It hurts so much his eye's do the weird fleck thingy again.

"Ohhh-" He slurs in pain. Tears were forming in his eyes but he was too angry to let them fall. 

"I have some painkillers for you, don't worry." Keith smiles wickedly. He's wearing the same clothes as last night, a navy shirt (splattered at the hem with droplets of red) and jeans. Shiro looks down and finds his shirt was gone but he still had his grey joggers on. Panic starts to set in. What sick game was Keith playing? Every step Keith takes gives Shiro pain, his head rioting at his current situation. 

"Wha- Wh-" He starts, finding his lips dry and chapped. 

"Shh, shh." Keith hums, "Have some water." Keith sits down close beside him and reaches for his head. Shiro flinches and tries to get away from his approaching hand. Keith's eyes flash with annoyance and he grabs onto Shiro's hair, roughly pulling him closer. Shiro hisses in pain. His head is held up as water pours down on top of his mouth. Resisting Keith, he keeps his mouth tightly shut. The water drips down his chin and slowly streaks down into his pants and onto the blankets below him. Keith moves his head around a bit as if shaking him would make him drink the water. Shiro continues to resist.

"Fine, have it your way." He puts the bottle to the side and Shiro can finally talk again- but he was stumped on what to say.

"What are you planning?" He picks from the many questions he has. Keith loosens his hold and Shiro falls back. He tries to scoot himself up, shifting to his good side and bringing his legs close. His captor watches his futile attempts with curious eyes. His arm screamed at every movement, forcing Shiro to bite on his lip to keep the groans in. 

"I just want to take care of you." Keith states nonchalantly, like all this was normal.

"Keith, I'm not an animal. You're hurting me." He counters, flinching again when his head pounds as he lays it down to rest for a while. 

"Oh, right." Keith stands up and goes to the hallway. Shiro is hoping he comes back with some scissors to cut him loose. Shiro wasn't sure what it was exactly, but he's pretty sure it was something made of plastic. Those loose coils they sometimes give you to tie things together. They had some in their garage. His skin was already reacting negatively to the tightness and material. Shiro finally reaches the wall and starts shuffling himself up to a seated position. From this point he had more sight and, stupidly, some sense of dignity. God, just last night they'd been lousing together laughing. Was he so hellbent on having Adam for himself? If Shiro knew his feelings were this strong he would have kept his distance from Adam.

"There you are, stop crawling around." Keith sounds somewhat happy which makes Shiro shiver. Keith holds his hand out and shows some light blue capsules. Probably the pain killers. "All right," Keith continues. "Do you want these painkillers?" Shiro gives him a 'duh' expression and nods. "Okay, say 'Keith, can I pretty please have those painkillers?'" Keith isn't joking. He looks inquisitive, his head cocked in an angle as he watches Shiro. Possibly seeing how far he humiliate his new toy. Shiro scoffs.

"Like hell, give me the pills Keith." He seethes, trying to look as menacing as possible in his position. "Listen, I know you and Adam-" Keith rushes forward and roughly places a hand on his mouth before Shiro can even react. Shiro looks at Keith with wide eyes, breathing wildly at the sudden resisted air flow. Keith is centimetres away from his face and looks heavily disturbed. Unpredictable.

"Don't say that name." He seethes, presses down viciously once more and removes his hand. Keith backs away a bit but is within arms reach. Shiro's breathing is still disturbed, his eyes tracking Keith's every movements. He was.... No. He was afraid of his own brother, his little brother. Keith.

"Keith, give me the pills." He mumbles, unsure of himself. What was and wasn't he allowed to say? How long till his brother was pleased with whatever sick punishment this was supposed to be?

"Sorry, what was that?" 

"Can I have the pills."

"Wow, no manners huh?" Keith has the audacity to mock him. Shiro frowns dangerously at Keith but the boy doesn't relent. Instead he stands up, pills still in hand, and walks off with no comment. Shiro wasn't sure what Keith was playing at, but he hoped it'd be over soon. What was he planning?

___________________

The answer was nothing. Keith did nothing. Shiro was seated on the floor for what felt like days- shivering in his damp pants. He knows it was only till about 7 pm as the sun had just set, but time went really slow when all you could do was ponder and worry. His stomach was growling and he needed to go to the bathroom really badly. His mouth was incredibly dry and Shiro lightly regrets his refusal to drink earlier. So when Keith returned, he was positively finished with being trapped. It's not like he hadn't tried to get up multiple times and escape- but at this point even his good arm felt sore and battered. He had no energy left and was just waiting on Keith at this point. His head pounded throughout and he had to close his eyes despite his tense awareness forcing them open at every sound. The light turns on suddenly and Shiro tightly shuts his eyes to adjust.

"Oh, you're still awake?" Keith asks, surprised. Shiro couldn't fall asleep- not like this. Boredom and pain quietly lulled him to rest, but he knew he could possibly have a concussion and sleeping was not the best idea. Shiro doesn't respond to the question, watching Keith hotly.

"Keith, I've had enough. Let me go." Shiro commands. Keith gives him a once over and laughs loudly. He's never heard him laugh like this before. It was all compassing and reckless. _It sounds real_ , Shiro thought, horrified. 

"Wait, let me grab my phone." He cackles. "I've got to get this on camera!" Shiro is stumped on what was so hilarious to the boy and felt irritated with the whole situation. Keith doesn't leave, however. He gets closer to Shiro and leans down to inspect him. He grabs Shiro's chin in his hand and twists him this way and that. Shiro knows he had a bruise from the pan hitting his head- but he was unsure where it was exactly. The whole top and back of his head ached, like someone hammered nails into his skull. Seemingly satisfied, he lets go of his face and grabs the discarded bottle on the floor.

"Are you gonna drink this time?" Keith smiles sweetly, bringing the bottle to his mouth. Shiro can't respond and starts drinking despite himself. Keith holding the bottle steady like Shiro was a baby. _This is humiliating._ When Shiro is finished Keith removes the bottle from his lips and nails the final screw into the coffin. "See, that wasn't so hard." Shiro wants to scream and curse. This wasn't his brother. It couldn't be.

"What do you want Keith?"

"You need to listen. I've already told you- I want to take care of you." Shiro raises his brows at the response, looking down at his bruised, shivering body. 

"This isn't caring for someone Keith. You know this." His brother is kneeling in front of him, finally facing him eye to eye. Shiro didn't feel as small like this. He felt more in control. "Just let me go and we can forget about all this." He finishes.

Keith makes a tutting sound. "I like it more this way." 

"This is wrong on so many levels." Shiro tries to highlight his point, eyes searching for some kind of empathy. Keith nods but doesn't say anything, not meeting his gaze. "Come on, lets go back to watching Greys Anatomy and enjoying the holiday okay?" 

"Shiro, Shiro, Shiro." Keith pleads. He says his name like it's gospel. With Keith on his knees in front of him, eyes slightly up to meet Shiro's gaze. He didn't want the prayer. "I need you to stay like this, just for a little while." 

"Keith, don't make me do this. Ma and pa will kill us." His brother raises a single brow as if asking what he was, no- could, be doing. Keith doesn't respond, leaning back on his knees. Challenging. Shiro breathes in deeply and, with no other choice, starts throwing away his pride. "Help!" He yells loudly, hoping his neighbours would hear. They usually didn't help, having called the police before for noise disturbances and suspicion of violence. Their parents never failed to excuse the behaviour, claiming their sons liked violent movies. They'd befriend the neighbours and prove they were a perfect family, showering them with flowers and gifts. Christmas cards. The whole deal. "Help!"" he yells again hoping that- just this once- they might listen. Shiro thought Keith would be angry, but he just looks upset. Keith sighs and moves to the kitchen as Shiro continues to shout for help. His voice is raggedy from the dryness in his throat, and his head bangs angrily at the noise- but he can't stop. Keith was in some sort of state, he must be. Keith returns promptly with a roll of duct tape in his hands. Shiro stops. "You wouldn't dare." He insists. Keith doesn't falter, moving towards him with a blank expression. Shiro shakes his head from side to side rapidly, fuming. No way he was just gonna sit here and let his younger brother shut him up. Shiro lets out one last 'help'', a soft, desperate one, before Keith grabs onto his hair and shoves his head towards the wall. Shiro gasps at the sudden agony. Keith already has a piece taped to his finger and he slowly, painstakingly, places it on Shiro's mouth. 

"Mmmph!" He tries, to no avail. The tears are forming in his eyes again. Rage. Keith releases his hair and Shiro instantly headbutts him. Shiro lets out another muffle of pain but at least Keith also seems to be hurt. The boy looks at Shiro, betrayed, and puts his hand lightly on the red mark forming on his forehead. He lowers his head for a second.

"You asshole." Keith whispers, looking up- straight at him. He grabs onto Shiro's hair again. God, why couldn't he have just gone with a buzzcut, just like 5 years ago? It looked horrible but it would be really, really nice right now. Keith violently brings his knee up, simultaneously forcing Shiro's head down by his hair. Shiro doesn't really remember much after that. He can only remember one thing- pain, pain, pain.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> srry for the delay, the estate where i live didnt have wifi for two days due to lightning :( !


	11. water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wtf keith smh.  
> heed the tags.   
> thunder and lightning, so satisfying. rain tapping on the roof. best writing conditions! also i just heard i have to wake up at 5 tmmrw color me dead. quite happy with this chap!

He wakes up in the familiar comfort of his own bed. He feels the warmth of the sun beaming down on his exposed stomach, positioned just so that his face and upper chest are still shaded by the curtains. His mouth is still plastered shut and his hands are, not surprisingly, tied up. The only difference, Shiro notes, was the position. His hands were now tied up in front of him rather than to his back. He tests the tightness again, hoping maybe Keith messed up somewhere. Sadly, they are still tightly wound together. God. He can't forgive his brother. Not after this. His head feels somewhat better- like the nails are slowly being screwed out. Millimetre by millimetre. His stomach has stopped complaining, accepting the emptiness. He does, however, need to go pee. Bad. He hears footsteps in the hall. The door creaks open. The sun shines violently against his brother, eye's glinting. 

"Ah, Shiro. What timing." Keith smirks. Shiro can only respond by frowning, shooting daggers into Keith's skull. The boy smiles, seemingly amused by Shiro's ire. Belittling. "Do you need to use the bathroom?" Keith asks, like he can read his mind. Or because he knows Shiro is an average human who has needs- which are, decidedly, not being met. Shiro nods slackly. Whatever hell he was about to go through, he wasn't ready. Even though he just woke up, his body feels heavy and his thoughts are strangely distant. "Great!" Keith grabs him by his shoulders and lifts him up, huffing with effort. He helps him into a standing position and leads him, hands on his shoulders, to the bathroom. Shiro struggles for the first few steps, finding balance in Keith's hold. While his legs ache at suddenly being used again, the smell of lavender fills his nose. Curious, he zones in on the bathtub. It was filled to the brim, soap bubbles spilling over the rim. They'd never really use the bathtub, preferring the speed and ease of a shower. Steam submerged his senses and spilled out to the open doorway. Shiro couldn't see his reflection in the mirror, which meant he couldn't see Keith behind him. What was he planning? Did he want Shiro to bathe? Confused, he turns around slowly, trying not to trip, and meets Keith's face. The boy is still smiling, his eyes crinkled in delight. 

"Isn't this nice?" He giggles. Shiro shrugs in response. "Oh right, oops." He cups Shiro's face with his hand, and before he can move away, rips the tape off in a single stroke. Shiro makes a muffled sound. He licks his dry lips, testing the sudden freedom. Now he can shout at him, finally.

"Can you untie me? I need to go." Shiro prods, wondering how far he could take this- how drunk Keith might be with satisfaction at their positions. Drunk enough to grow clumsy?

"No, not yet." Shiro wasn't sure what he was referring to, his overall freedom or just his current... need. Instead, the boy puts his hands on Shiro's joggers.

"Uh, Keith?" He asks before his pants and underwear are roughly pushed down. "Jesus, Keith!"

"Calm down." Keith hisses. "You can use the bathroom now." Shiro gives him a pointed stare, looking at the toilet and his hands. "Do you want me to help or something?" 

"No!" He exclaims. "No. Can you at least turn around?"

"Whatever." Keith turns around, offering Shiro some much needed privacy. As soon as he's done (it took a while, with his hands tied up and all.) Keith places his hands on his lower back, the coldness of his fingers against his back giving him a shock. "Bath time." Keith sounds tender, like Shiro is a little puppy. Shiro sputters and starts shaking his head, but he soon loses footing at Keith's insistent pushing. Before his head can meet the rim of the bathtub, Keith puts his arms around his waist and tries to pull him up.

"Why'd you have to weigh so much." Keith sighs, like he was in the disadvantage here. Still recovering from the near death, Shiro angrily raises his voice.

"Maybe, just maybe, if you let me go we wouldn't be having this problem." Shiro accused. Keith huffs and manages to get Shiro's legs into the water. It was luke warm, soap bubbles popping around his skin. The heat calms him down, just a little. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend he was somewhere else. The fantasy is quickly ruined by hands massaging his scalp. He tenses up.

"Shh, shh." Keith practically purrs. "Just let me take care of you." He smells his shampoo (the caffeine one, god he'd kill for a coffee) and he closes his eyes as the water drips down his forehead. Shiro can't relax, he just can't. He's never really been touched like this. Maybe in the happy days of his youth, a long time ago. Back when his mother still adored her son. He can't bring any memory to the forefront- but the nostalgia is still there. This weird feeling of deja vu. Keith grabs the shower head and lightly tugs Shiro's head back by his hair. "See, isn't this nice?" Shiro can't see his expression with his eyes closed, but he knew he was probably grinning from ear to ear. Seemingly done with his hair, he grabs the body wash and starts rubbing Shiro's shoulders and neck. Tension leaves his body in waves, his clenched jaw softening. He didn't notice he was so taut till he wasn't. Keith moves downwards, propping Shiro into a seated position. He lightly palms his stomach and back, moving his bound hands to the side. Shiro scoffs, knowing he could just move his hands back. He doesn't though- not until Keith goes too far. 

He lightly traces around his v-cut with a finger- slowly going down, down, down.

"Keith." Shiro halts him. "I think I'm done now." He moves his hands back to his front for some sort of protection.

"Are you?" And Keith is smiling again, that all encompassing, toothy smile. Predatory. Shiro doesn't let it scare him. He uncomfortably scoots more upright, feeling weightless in the water. Keith removes his finger and stands up, going to grab a towel. He dumps the towel on the floor and brings his arms under Shiro's armpits, lifting him up. Shiro makes another confused sound to Keith's enjoyment. He struggles for footing and looks down to make sure he won't fall. Not like he can do anything if he was to fall. Keith lets him go and grabs the towel, drying him off briskly. 

"There we go, all done." Shiro doesn't respond, searching for his discarded underwear. He is stopped by Keith's ever inpatient hands, yet again pushing him around like he's some kind of toddler.

"You know I can walk by myself, right?" Shiro complains as he is pushed into their bedroom.

"Yeah, but I like it when you can only go where I allow you." Shiro glances over his shoulder, wondering if Keith was joking.

"This is crazy. You're going crazy." Shiro states, making eye contact with the boy. Keith doesn't like that apparently. His mouth turns down to a grimace, his eyebrows lifted as if in shock. Instead of replying to the facts, Keith lifts his hand and slaps Shiro. Once.

"Don't talk to me like that." Keith seethes. "I'm only doing what's best for you." Shiro is still recovering from the sudden assault, opening and closing his mouth in surprise. "Why can't you see that!?" Keith has lost it. Completely. He shoves Shiro forward, forcing him to land on his back with an 'oof'. He's on Keith's bed- he notes. Shiro can't lift himself up, despite all his attempts. He was totally useless. His back is arched strangely, his lower legs resting on the floor. If he lifted his legs, his upper body might slide down towards the floor and he could be seated. Before he can attempt the maneuverer, Keith is on top of him. His eyes are vicious, his closed fists digging into Shiro's shoulders. Holding him up. 

"You're hurting me." Shiro pants, trying to find any familiarity in Keith's face. Shiro knew that when Keith got mad he usually got a little... cold. But this was too far. "I don't feel good." Shiro finishes, his breath quickening. Panic climbs in from his chest, grabbing onto his heart in a relentless grip. Trapped, trapped, trapped.

"I can make you feel good, I promise!" Keith's spittle lands on Shiro's face and he cringes at the closeness, his ears ringing from Keith's shouting. His hold wasn't dwindling, Keith's knuckle bones digging deep into his shoulders. "Just let me make you feel good?"

"No, Keith. I don't want this." Shiro digs a deeper grave for his pride, ending with a "Please." The boy seems to accept this, removing his hands from Shiro's shoulders and standing up. Shiro quickly lowers himself, his back against the bed. Keith rushes out of the room, slamming the door behind him. Shiro isn't sure if he's getting scissors to cut him loose or to cut him up. He investigates the area around him for any sort of tool. Curse Shiro's neatness. He knows Keith hides things under his bed, but his arms can't reach behind him. The door opens softly and Shiro quickly points his gaze at Keith. He wishes he didn't. His captor is holding onto a black tape roll (God, not the duct tape...) and a black mask. But that doesn't even really scare him- not as much as Keith himself. He has this expression of pure joy, a lopsided grin and eyes wide open. Shiro only really see's him like this when Keith is in a bad mood but he can't help but smile at Shiro's numerous attempts to make him happy again. A hidden, private smile. Something that isn't shown because he wants it too, nor that he can fight against it. 

"Keith- wha-" He starts and fails, starting to struggle at Keith's forceful hands on his face. He wants to scream for help, he wants everyone to know that he isn't okay. Instead, his mouth is taped shut brutally- an animalistic Keith panting in front of him. Lust.


End file.
